Just Maybe
by NoireNighte
Summary: "Ya oughta help her." Merle grunted, and Daryl was shocked that his brother had come to like the girl that much, until he cackled, "Hell, maybe it'll getcha laid." Daryl/OC, slow burn, starts just before season 1
1. Chapter 1: Before

_Hi all, and welcome! A few quick notes before we get into the story:_

_Some situations will look very similar to the TV show, while others will diverge drastically due to Sasha's existence._

_One of the biggest changes I will be making is that everyone is not automatically infected with the disease. [I promise I will make up for this, give this story a chance even if it puts you off :) ] I know this is a big change, but I just feel as though it makes sense if I want to have any sort of happy ending for this story (otherwise eventually the human population will be wiped out, as it seems there is no chance for a cure to be found. Imagine, even if you live to an old age, what if you die in your sleep and reanimate to kill your family? This is why I am making this change)_

_This is a Daryl/OC story. Other pairings will be mentioned, but the story will mostly focus on them._

_This will be a fairly slow story. These two won't be getting together right away – I like to draw it out a bit : )_

_I am currently in school and working full-time, so I can't promise weekly updates, but I hope to update __**at least**__ twice a month! Hopefully more!_

_Finally, this story is rated M for a reason. There will be mentions of difficult topics, swearing, drugs/alcohol, sex, etc. Please do not proceed if any of these make you uncomfortable._

_I hope you enjoy, and please feel free to offer suggestions of what you would like to see, as well as critiques of my writing/story! I am not that great at typing out Daryl's accent, so I apologize in advance and any suggestions would be great!_

* * *

Sasha made her way soundlessly across the tiled floors, her eyes seeking out any treasures that might be hidden among the dark shelves. The tattered, grey bag on her back was still far too empty – it only held a few bars of soap, toothpaste, and bottles of aspirin, plus the water bottle and granola bars she'd brought with her. The thrill she got when she knew she'd found something good, something really useful, hadn't hit her yet.

She and Glenn had come looking for batteries for the flashlights and any sort of medical supplies, perhaps even some bandages or peroxide. It wasn't easy, living up in the woods, and there had been a few times where they had made due with cut up clothing in place of gauze.

Glenn hadn't wanted to risk going into the city today. It was exceptionally hot and humid, and he feared this would make their scent stand out to the walkers more than usual. Instead, they had journeyed out to a small town just outside Atlanta, about ten miles away from their camp. They hadn't seen a single walker yet, but the small pharmacy, which probably hadn't had much stock to begin with, had already been raided. Still, Sasha knew the women would at least be happy for the soap.

She glanced down an aisle, only to see her best friend sprawled out on the floor, halfway concealed underneath one of the displays. Most concerning was the sight of his beloved baseball cap strewn on the floor next to him. For a moment, Sasha's heart stopped as a million thoughts raced through her head: he had been attacked, he had spotted a walker and hidden, he'd passed out because he'd seen a naked woman for the first time. She let out a sigh of relief when Glenn shimmied out from the display and raised his hands triumphantly over his head, holding a large pack of AA batteries that must have fallen to the ground.

She stuck her tongue between her teeth in amusement when he gently placed the white hat back over his dark hair. Moving along, she happily grabbed a few books that appeared undisturbed, as well as some comics, coloring books, and crayons that she knew the younger children would be happy to have. For good measure, she also picked up a few new notebooks and pencils, as she knew the moms were making some sort of attempt at homeschooling.

Finally, Sasha made her way to the front register, hoping that there would be something behind the counter. She found a locked cabinet, and with some finangling and the hairpin she kept tucked in her pocket for these moments, she managed to jimmy it open.

"Sweet." She hummed, lifting up what looked like an unopened first aid kit. Glenn was already waiting at the counter as she stood, tucking a pack of gum into his back pocket. Inside the kit, there were a few different packs of various bandages, some creams and antiseptic wipes, and a few of those little packs of pain medicine.

"Nice find Sash." Glenn nodded as she placed the kit into her bag. She allowed herself a small smile, before frowning and turning around to eye the wall of cigarettes behind her. There wasn't a lot left, and she couldn't help but feel as though today had been a disappointment.

"Wish we'd found some more heavy duty stuff though. The pharmacy was cleared out. Was there just the one pack of batteries?" Glenn didn't answer her, instead warily eyeing the couple packs of Marlboros in her hand.

"Oh come on Glenn, you know they aren't for me." Sasha argued, ignoring the slight huff that escaped his lips. He knew they weren't for her – that was the problem.

"Yeah, but, I just wish you wouldn't placate them like that. It's bad enough with the…comments Merle makes to you, but I just don't get why you feel the need to try to make them comfortable. They isolate themselves." Sasha waited patiently until he was done, knowing that Glenn was bound to talk in circles.

She'd known Glenn for about four years before this whole thing had gone down – they'd been in college together and met at orientation, two northerners swimming in a sea of sweet and slow southern accents. It figured that the world would end just _after_ they'd graduated. Glenn had just gotten a job offer from a company downtown, and was going to quit his pizza delivery job. Sasha thought maybe that would haunt him for the rest of his life. He was a good guy, and smart too. She probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Glenn.

When things had started getting bad, it had been Glenn who suggested they get out of the city. They were lucky – they hadn't been able to afford a nice apartment near downtown and instead lived right on the outskirts. They'd just made it out when the military had unleashed the napalms, which it turned out was possibly one of the dumbest things they could've done. Now that they knew you could only kill the walkers with a shot to the brain, all of their previous mistakes seemed silly. Thankfully, they'd run into Dale, Amy, and Andrea on the road after a few days, and eventually found their way to the others.

"Look, I know Merle is an asshole, but he and Daryl do a lot for the camp. Who knows where we'd be without the food they bring in. I don't see the harm in doing something nice for them, no one else ever seems to thank them. Plus, haven't you noticed? Merle hardly says anything nasty to me anymore." Glenn let out another deep breath, drumming his fingers aggressively against the counter.

"You were always too nice for your own good. Just, you'd let me know if Merle ever, you know, tried something?" She rolled her eyes at him as they made their way to the front of the store, peeking outside to check for danger, and Glenn decided to let it drop, for now.

He knew her too well – she might take his words as a challenge to prove that the Dixon men were decent people, and start hanging around them more than she already did. Maybe it was true that Merle had seemed to stop bothering her, but Glenn didn't believe that made much of a difference. Merle was still a prick, and Daryl, well, Glenn just didn't trust someone who was related to Merle. He didn't think Sasha realized how it was, she'd always been kind of oblivious when it came to how men looked at her. Glenn couldn't remember a time when she'd even had a date.

With her long dark blonde hair, green eyes, and full lips, Sasha was the kind of girl that was so pretty as to be scary, at least to many of the guys that had been on campus. She was quiet and smart and beautiful, the type of girl who didn't give flirtatious smiles or hair flips, and was ignored by most of the male population in fear of rejection. But to someone like Merle Dixon, who had no fear and nothing to lose anymore, Glenn was worried she'd look like easy prey. That was part of the reason he'd allowed her to come with him on these runs in the first place – the geeks weren't the always the scariest part of this new world.

"Come on Glenn, let's get going. Shane will lose his shit if we get back late." They cautiously pushed open the door and made a run for the car.

* * *

They returned to the camp a few hours before dark, presenting their meager findings to the appreciative group. The women exclaimed over the soap and toothpaste, and Dale tucked the first aid kit and batteries into the RV. He was almost equally happy to add a few new books as well, even if many of them were cheesy romance or detective novels. The smiles the children gave her at the sight of the things she'd grabbed for them, mainly Carl, whom she'd grown especially fond of, were enough to make the run worth it to Sasha. Still, looking around at the camp, she couldn't help but feeling like they'd have to move on soon.

Supplies were getting harder to come by as the city became more and more dangerous. Hell, it seemed like the walkers had started to move together throughout Atlanta, and it had scared her the last time she and Glenn had gone on a run. Sasha would like to move on, find somewhere safer and less out in the open. She wanted someplace with walls, somewhere she could be up high above the ground. She felt like that girl in the second Jurrasic Park movie who wanted to be up high in the trees.

When she got to her tent, her eyes found Daryl sitting in front of his own, where he was sitting on a fallen log and meticulously cleaning his arrows. His giant crossbow was propped up next to him, and he wore a grey tank top, jeans, and boots.

She was grateful that Merle didn't seem to be around. No matter what she claimed to Glenn, some of the stuff he said_ did _grind her gears, even if he was inexplicably getting better. Plus, Daryl was easier to deal with on his own. She walked over to him, knowing that just because his eyes didn't rise up to look at her didn't mean he didn't know she was there. She was pretty sure that Daryl saw everything that went on in the camp.

"I got these for you and Merle. There wasn't much to choose from, but I thought it was better than nothing." His eyes finally lifted, first to eye the cigarettes she held out, and then to gaze at her. Daryl wasn't sure why Sasha, of all the people in the camp, tried so hard to be friendly with him and his brother. It was unnerving to someone who hadn't had any friends in his life, let alone friends that looked the way she did, to suddenly have someone _thank_ him. And then, the first time she'd brought him cigarettes, well that had almost too much to take when he'd realized it meant she'd been thinking about him on her run, about what he might like to have.

At first, he hadn't worried about it, sure that Merle's obnoxious personality would scare her off soon enough. Only it hadn't. Sure, the girl blushed at a lot of the indecent comments Merle made, but she stood her ground. Merle seemed to like that Sasha didn't care what he said, and had grudgingly gained a little respect for her. Now, Daryl was at a loss with how to act around her, but had decided to just let things play out. He was sure that eventually she'd get sick of the Dixons.

"Ya didn't have ta do tha'." He grumbled, but he took the pack, which was as good as him saying thank you. Sasha hesitated a moment longer, before sitting on the log next to him, careful to keep a good amount of distance between the two of them. Daryl wasn't exactly a people person.

She shrugged out of her green jacket, nearly groaning at the feeling of the cooler mountain air hitting her sweaty arms. It was far too hot to wear sleeves, but she always kept her arms and legs covered on runs. It was better protection from teeth than nothing. Daryl pretended not to watch as Sasha pulled a small knife out from her jacket pocket, wondering how such a small creature was able to protect herself. She was seemingly inspecting the knife and frowning to herself.

"Will you teach me?" Her voice, soft and sweet, hit Daryl by surprise. He glanced up to find her watching him, and he just stared, waiting for her to explain. The way his icy blue eyes scrutinized her sent a shiver down her spine – she'd never want to be on his bad side, that's for sure.

"I just, I don't really know how to hunt or defend myself very well. And I know, you uh, I've seen you throwing knives and obviously you can hunt, so I thought maybe you could teach me." She stammered, wondering what had possessed her to ask him this. He'd probably just laugh at her, or tell her to fuck off. Before he could even think about answering, a booming, maniacal sort of voice washed over them,

"Whooee, well whadda we got here? Ya keepin' my baby brother company, are ya girlie?" Merle was standing above them, swigging down a bottle from a brown bag. His face was covered in dirt and his white tank top had dark, dried spots that looked suspiciously like blood, which Sasha decided not to comment on.

"I thought Daryl might appreciate having someone to talk to other than his big, dumb redneck brother." Sasha opined bravely, her eyes careful to not leave Merle's face. Daryl stilled, watching his brother from the corner of his eye. Merle glowered at Sasha for almost a full minute, waiting for her to break. When she didn't, he smirked and let out a gruff chuckle,

"Mhmm, I'll bet you was. Yer a right site better lookin' than ole Merle here, sure little Darleena was mor'n happy to keep ya company." Sasha flushed a little at his insuniation, but knew better than to get defensive. She had learned quickly how to deal with Merle. She got up from the log, slapping the other pack of Marlboros to Merle's chest a little harder than necessary. He grunted.

"You're welcome." She sang, not looking at Daryl. He hadn't answered her, simply going back to his arrows. She didn't expect him to reply with Merle around. She could only hope that he would think about it. She left them then, heading back over to her tent to change out of her sweaty clothes.

"Ya gonna help her out?" Merle had taken her place, picking out a cigarette from the pack and lighting it. His eyes screwed up at the taste; he'd always preferred stronger, hand-rolled smokes. Daryl grumbled, wishing Merle hadn't heard her request. He honestly didn't know.

In the past, he would've immediately blown her off. He didn't care much for other people, preferring to stick to himself. He barely tolerated his own brother. She would only slow him down if he took her hunting. But still, the thought of her up against a walker, armed with just that little knife, troubled him in ways he couldn't explain.

"Ya oughta help her." Merle grunted, and Daryl was shocked that his brother had come to like the girl that much, until he cackled, "Hell, maybe it'll getcha laid." Daryl let out a noise somewhere between a snort and a hiss, ignoring Merle's continued snickers. He stood, slinging his crossbow over his shoulder, and his eyes unconsciously squinted in the direction of Sasha's tent. He stalked into his own tent, his voice gruff as he responded,

"Just shut yer mouth. Idiot."

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! Please leave a review, I love reading your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2: Before

_A/N: A quick update, but I had it written and was so excited by the follows/reviews/favorites already. I know these first few chapters aren't that exciting as we build everything up – I promise it will get more interesting very quickly! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

As the morning light trickled into her eyes, Sasha pulled on a clean pair of jeans and a blue tank top, along with her plain black combat boots. She didn't bother with a jacket since she would be in the camp perimeter and presumably safe from any walkers, though it was always a risk. She could already hear the scuffle of boots outside her tent and knew that activities in camp were well underway.

Today she was supposed to help out with the laundry, which they tried to do every few days. Not that anything ever got particularly clean, but it was better than nothing. Dale had been teaching Glenn how to fix up the RV, so she was pretty sure that he would be busy with that for most of the day. Daryl and Merle would probably go hunting, as usual. Who knew what the rest of the men did all day, other than keep watch and try to build up the camp's defenses. Not that she wasn't grateful, but she didn't understand why only men were allowed on watch duty.

Sighing, she pulled her long hair into a loose braid, pretending that it felt cleaner that way, and tucked her knife into her waistband. Maybe later she'd ask Glenn to keep an eye out while she washed herself by the quarry. It had only been a few days since she'd last washed her hair, but living outside in the Georgia heat took its toll on her cleanliness.

Outside her tent, she noted that Daryl and Merle's tent seemed empty – no doubt they'd been up and gone before anyone else. Glenn's tent, situated next to her own, was zipped up as well. She heard none of his snoring – precisely the reason she'd insisted on her own tent – and figured he was already with Dale. The two had become fast friends, despite the differences in age. She had a feeling that Dale could befriend most people.

As she glanced around the camp she saw Amy waving to her from near the RV, where she was sitting with Carl, Sophia, and some of the other children at a folding table. Amy was very good with them – she'd been in college to be a teacher before everything had gone to shit. The parents probably appreciated having someone to help watch over the children and provide some sort of structure to their day. Sasha began walking towards the group, nodding as she passed by Shane, who was striding purposefully towards the perimeter. He inclined his head at her, his eyes jerking over her body as he moved past.

Shane. She tried to keep her features composed as her mind unwillingly wandered towards their leader. There was something about him that was just…off. It seemed funny to her that people in the camp were so afraid of Merle but so trusting of Shane, when to Sasha they were just two sides of the same coin. Sure, Merle was a racist bastard most of the time, but at least he was honest about who he was. Sasha was pretty sure that most of it was for show, anyhow. Merle had never refused to share his hunting kills with T-Dog or Glenn, and he only really got bad when he was drinking.

She truly doubted Merle would ever lay a hand on a woman, no matter what nonsense came spewing out of his mouth. It was almost like a defense mechanism to him, to keep people from getting too close. That wasn't to say that Sasha thought Merle was secretly a good person or anything, he was definitely an asshole, but in some ways she thought he was less dangerous than Shane.

Shane was the kind of man who kept his thoughts hidden, and that was what scared her. She'd seen the way he looked at Lori, at herself, at Andrea and Amy. It was cool, calculating, and egotistical. It made very Sasha nervous. She wondered if he'd always been like that – if he'd been drawn to being a cop because he had the sort of personality that drew him to power and control.

"Sasha, Sasha! Come look at what I drew!" Carl's voice broke her out of her thoughts, and she had to smile widely at the boy, who was waving a picture excitedly back and forth in the air. As she got closer, she could see that it was meant to be a picture of herself. He'd drawn her as a cartoon, with exaggerated eyes and hair, and he'd even put a book in one of her hands, since she was known to read at night. He was actually a pretty good artist, considering he only had a few pencils and some crayons to draw with. Sasha smile widened as she kneeled down next to him.

"Carl, this might be my favorite picture ever! Do you think I could have it for my tent? And will you sign your name on it first?" Carl beamed and a slight blush appeared on the boy's cheeks as he painstakingly added his name to the corner of the drawing before handing it to Sasha. She held it reverently.

"Thanks buddy! What are you drawing next?" She asked as Carl picked up a new sheet of paper. His tongue stuck out between his teeth in concentration.

"My mom. Amy said we could draw for a little longer, and then we had to work on some math." He chirped, carefully outlining the picture in pencil. Sasha smiled lightly. Lori was a nice woman, if a little melodramatic at times, but she truly loved her son more than anything in the world. For that, Sasha could forgive her of her other faults.

"Oh boy, that mean Amy, making you guys do math!" Sasha teased, winking at Amy, who spread her hands out in defeat. She was happy to see a smile on Sophia's face – they were a rarity most days.

"Do you want to go down to the quarry with me later? I really need to wash my hair." Amy inquired, looking over Sophia's drawing of a cat while running a hand through her own blonde locks.

"I'm so glad you asked, I was thinking the same thing. Maybe we can go before dinner, as long as we can get someone to come down with us on guard." Sasha agreed, imagining clean hair and the vanilla smell of the soap she used to purchase. God how she missed hot showers and hair dryers. Just then, Shane passed them as he headed to the other side of the perimeter, ruffling Carl's hair as he walked by. Sasha didn't miss the quick glance and slight blush that appeared on Amy's cheeks and had to hold back an irritated groan.

It seemed like she was the only female in the camp that didn't find Shane irresistible. Sure, he had a nice body and an attractive face, but she couldn't get past her gut feeling about him. Plus, the fact that he never let the women do anything but household chores didn't sit well with her. Sasha stood, not wanting to be late to help the other women with the laundry. They already had a tendency to think of her and Amy as children, since she was just 23 and Amy was 24, and she didn't want them to look down on her for shirking her responsibilities.

"I'll see you guys later. You think you've got it bad with math, but I've got to go _fold some clothes._" She said this last part in a stage whisper, as if she were about to be tortured. Carl giggled, wrinkling his nose in distaste. After tucking her new picture in her tent, Sasha found Carol by a table and a large stack of clothing. She took notice of the bruise that was blooming on Carol's collarbone and bit her lip.

All of the women had tried to get Carol to confide in them to no avail. It was a hopeless situation. They didn't want to risk Ed's wrath getting worse; what if he took Carol and Sophia away, what if he killed them? For now, they were keeping an eye on the situation, and Sasha hoped they could figure out a solution that didn't result in violence.

She gave Carol a tight smile, taking an armful of clothing and setting to work. She liked Carol better than many of the other women. Carol never treated her like a child, like Lori and Andrea often did, and she didn't seem to mind working in silence.

They had a pretty good system going. On laundry days, a few of them washed the dirty clothes down by the quarry. Then, it was brought it back up, and whoever hadn't washed that day helped to hang everything up to dry. Finally, once the clothes were dry, usually the next day, the last people helped fold everything and redistribute it. They rotated jobs often, and the only one Sasha disliked was hanging things up, because she really wasn't tall enough to reach the clothesline. She had to stand on her tiptoes, and more than once she'd accidentally dropped something in the dirt. They all pretended not to notice when Lori had stopped assigning her to that particular duty.

Sasha had just finished folding her stack of clothes when she suddenly noticed a shadow looming over her. She jumped about ten feet out of her skin only to find Daryl standing behind her, his muscular arms crossed in front of him. As usual, the sleeves on his shirt appeared to have been shredded off, and Sasha wondered if he knew how good his arms looked, or if he just liked the convenience and break from the heat. She doubted Daryl really considered his looks much, though he was attractive in a rugged, dangerous sort of way. His crossbow was slung across his back.

_How is he so quiet, to sneak up on me like that?_ Sasha thought, steadying herself. She swore his eyes lit up in amusement for a second at her agitation before they narrowed again.

"Got yer knife with ya?" He asked, his voice husky and low. Confused, Sasha slowly pulled her knife from the waistband of her jeans. Daryl grunted before wheeling around and strolling away. He paused and looked over his shoulder at her as if she were crazy.

"C'mon girl, haven't got all day. I ain't got time to teach ya to hunt today." He mumbled exasperatedly. She glanced at Carol, who was still silently folding clothes next to her.

"Go on, I can sort these out." Carol told her kindly, though she looked as confused as Sasha felt. Sasha quickly scurried after Daryl, remembering her request from yesterday and hardly believing her luck. She followed him to the edge of camp until he stopped about ten feet in front of a large tree. He turned to her, pulling out a short knife similar to hers. Facing the tree, he threw it with such blinding speed that she wasn't even sure it had happened, but of course, the knife was buried nearly dead in the center of the tree trunk.

"Ya gotta get speed behind yer throw, otherwise it ain't gonna be strong enough to kill nothing. Jus' takes some practice." Daryl explained, gesturing for Sasha to move into position. She did, trying not to let the shock on her face show and unwilling to utter a word lest she annoy him. She wasn't sure she had ever heard Daryl speak more than a few words at a time.

Her first throw was pathetic – she was nervous and didn't throw it quickly enough – and the knife plummeted sadly to the ground with a soft _clink_. She retrieved it, going back to her place and taking aim again, her eyes anxiously flickering over to Daryl. She felt very out of place. He grunted, and then suddenly he strode over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Jus' relax girl." He mumbled, and even though he was clearly trying to not get too close to her, she could still feel his breath on her neck. His foot kicked one of her feet outward, widening her stance, but she could only focus on how his rough hands felt against her bare skin, which was definitely _not_ helping her relax. She felt a flush creeping up her neck and desperately willed it to go away.

With more gentleness than she thought he was capable of, he moved her shoulders back, drawing her right arm just past her waist. His hands left her, and she tried not to notice the warmth that still lingered behind. Her second throw was much better, even if it was probably just dumb luck. The knife stuck into the tree, though it was obviously just barely wedged in.

Daryl watched, occasionally making corrections, but mostly just instructing her to keep going. She wasn't bad, but he didn't think that throwing knives was the best strategy unless she was desperate. He'd rather get her a bow and teach her how to shoot a gun, but they didn't risk using the guns so close to the city. He still wasn't even sure why he was helping her, why he felt he needed to ensure her protection. Although, as he took in her lean body, with her small curves and her pretty face that was now slick with sweat, he realized it wasn't the worst way to spend his time.

_She probably was some kinda model or somethin', before this shit. _He thought, enjoying the way her lips were parted from the exertion. He didn't bother getting his hopes up – she could have any guy in the camp, and he wasn't that good with women. He'd just had a few one-night stands, nothing serious, and definitely not with anyone like her.

"Ya got it down pretty good, jus' keep praticin' when ya can." Daryl finally told her, once her arms were beginning to ache. She turned towards him, wiping the sweat from her forehead and biting her lip.

"You said you didn't have time to teach me how to hunt today. Does that…does that mean you can teach me another time?" She inquired hopefully. He watched as she carefully tucked her knife back into her waistband.

"Jus' once I'll take ya out. Ya ain't got a bow or nuthin to use, but I can show ya a few things. But firs' we gotta work on yer strength. Ya ever killed a walker up close?" Daryl questioned, the thought making his throat constrict painful. Christ, that was something he didn't want to see. Sasha's green eyes widened fearfully.

"No…I'm quick and quiet, so when Glenn and I go on runs, we just avoid them." She told him truthfully. It made sense, and Daryl didn't see Glenn as much of a fighter either. Still, she should know how to defend herself.

"Better if yer trained a bit, jus' in case." He replied, shifting from side to side. He couldn't take much more of her, standing there looking at him like he was some sort of savior. If only she knew what he really was, how he'd grown up and survived…she'd be running in the opposite direction, he was sure. Sasha nodded, and Daryl began to walk away.

"Daryl." She called out before she could stop herself. She wanted to know why he was helping her after all these weeks of isolating himself from the camp. He faced her again, his features shuttered, and the question died on her lips.

"Thank you." Sasha replied instead, brushing a piece of hair away from her face nervously. Her heart was thrumming against her chest, and she wasn't certain it was all from the exercise. He simply stared at her for a few moments before nodding and turning away again.

* * *

"You were doing _what _with _who?_" Sasha fought the urge to giggle at the look on Glenn's face.

"Dammit Glenn, keep your voice down." She groaned, rubbing the soap from her eyes. She, Glenn, Amy, Andrea, Jim, and T-Dog had gone down to the quarry to wash. They'd decided early on not to wash in the quarry, as they wanted to keep the water clean. Instead, they took turns filling up buckets of water and washing near the rocks. The men stood guard first, keeping their backs as the women stripped down to their underclothes and hurriedly tried to scrub themselves with washcloths, wincing as they dumped buckets of cold water over themselves.

Once the women were clean and dressed, they stood by as the men did the same thing. Now they were heading back to camp, and Sasha decided it was a good time to tell Glenn and Amy what she'd been up to. She glanced over her shoulder. Andrea, Jim, and T-Dog were walking a few feet behind them, talking in whispers, and thankfully seemed unaware of Glenn's outburst.

"It is a little strange though Sasha, him helping you all of a sudden. I mean, I know you try and be friendly with him, but I just can't imagine being alone with him. Weren't you a little afraid?" Amy fretted, her hands wringing out her hair as they walked.

"He's really not that scary Amy. He's just…grumpy." Glenn snorted at her description, and Sasha threw him an irritated look before continuing, "Besides, don't you two think it's a good idea for me to learn self-defense?"

"Of course it is, but couldn't you have asked Shane or something? Shane was a cop." Glenn complained, his voice taut. Amy inhaled sharply, not wanting to get in the middle of their squabble. Glenn knew how she felt about Shane, though he thought she was wrong about him. He didn't exactly believe Shane was a great guy, but he trusted him more than Sasha did.

"Shane might be good at using a gun, but Daryl and Merle are the ones who know how to hunt and how to kill walkers without a gun. I just want to know how to defend myself, Glenn. What if something happened on a run? We can't always use guns!" She huffed, threading her fingers through her hair. She didn't want to fight with Glenn over this and was glad to see his face soften.

"Hey, look. I think it's a good idea for you to know how to fight. Just, be careful with him, alright?" He pleaded.

"Of course Glenn. Who knows, maybe soon I can teach you and Amy some tricks!" She teased, her voice tinkling with amusement. Amy chuckled at Glenn's bashful grin, glad to see the awkward moment pass.

Once the three of them checked back in with Dale, who was on watch, Sasha quickly changed into a pair of black leggings and a white sweatshirt. She was happy that the air cooled down so much in the evening. It was still fairly light out, so she grabbed a book that she'd borrowed from Dale and sat on a blanket outside her tent to read.

This was the time of day when most of the camp got some alone time in. Glenn was in his own tent, going over the maps they had found and looking for locations for their next run. Daryl was sitting outside his tent, cleaning a few squirrels. Sasha quickly became absorbed in the book, the noises around her fading away. She definitely didn't notice the pair of blue eyes puzzling over her, watching until the light began to fade away.

* * *

**Please leave a review, it honestly makes my day! Please let me know what you think of the story so far, what you think of Sasha, what you think I should improve/change, and what you would like to see! Thank you to the following people for leaving a review, following, or favorite: Kairi Nara, DudettRin101, AlecLightwoodMagnusBane, IdShipIt007, Midnight Sakura Blossom, marie potter riddle, Guru115, and Swagarella**


	3. Chapter 3: Before

_A/n: Hey all! DudettRin101 had a good question about what actress Sasha looks like, how tall she is, etc. I would say I sort of pictured her as Lily James, just with green eyes and shorter, about 5'3''. Hope that helps, and hope you enjoy! Next chapter we will be getting into the start of season one and much more interesting stuff!  
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Daryl awoke with a loud groan, a sheet of sweat across his body and his cock hard and aching. He'd been dreaming about _her_. More specifically, he'd been dreaming about _her_ sneaking into his tent in the middle of the night and begging for him, desperate for him to touch her. Of course, he'd indulged her requests. He'd laid down on top of her and done unspeakably dirty things, covering her mouth with his hands as she gasped underneath him-

"Fuck." He grumbled, pushing the thoughts out of his head and rubbing at his forehead. He'd never had a dream about a woman before, not like this. Sure, he'd had _those_ kinds of dreams, but they'd always consisted of faceless women or women he'd seen in porno magazines. Always just about the pleasure, not about the person. Nothing that had filled him with an ache like this, about a woman who was sleeping just yards away.

_Shouldn'ta kept lookin' at her last night. She got in yer head. _He thought, recalling how Sasha had spent the last hours of the day sitting outside and reading that damn book. He'd never seen someone so completely oblivious to what was going on around them, and he found he couldn't help himself from checking on her every so often. Her hair had been slightly damp and as she twirled it around her fingers it had set into soft waves. She'd kept on biting her lip in concentration as she read and Daryl could imagine how those lips would open under his touch, how she would blush like she always did if he just–

He shook his head violently, standing up and grabbing a pair of jeans, a sleeveless white shirt, and his boots. He pulled them on quickly, wincing as the jeans rubbed against his erection, before slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. Thankfully, he and Merle had gotten separate tents, mostly due to Merle's insistence that he would eventually get Andrea or Lori in his bed. It was far earlier than they normally got up and Daryl could hear his brother's occasionally snores, clearly still fast asleep. He would never hear the end of it if Merle found out.

Daryl quickly stomped past the camp perimeter and into the woods, knowing that whoever was on watch wouldn't stop him or even think anything was wrong. Once he got far enough past the edge, he stopped and glanced around before unzipping his jeans. He felt a little guilty as he relieved himself, remembering that he was a good bit older than her, even if he wasn't sure by how much. He was nearly 34 though; definitely far too old for someone who seemed so innocent. The guilt quickly turned to pleasure as he ran back through his dream, remembering the look in her eyes as she writhed against him. He finished quickly, moaning deeply at the release.

When he had calmed down and buckled his jeans back up, he growled, kicking at a nearby tree in frustration. There was no need for him to get worked up over a shy, silly girl. Helping her had probably been a mistake. Daryl had always been suspicious of beautiful women and how they always appeared to get everything they wanted handed to them – that was probably what was happening here. Sasha was just using him to..to…

Even as he thought it over, he knew it didn't make sense. She wasn't really getting anything from him; if anything, she'd given him much more than she was getting in the way of cigarettes. She wasn't asking for his help in exchange for food or shelter or protection, she was asking for him to teach her how to protect herself. It didn't even take up that much of his time.

Besides, even if Sasha had wanted to use her looks on someone, it would've been on Shane, not on him. Daryl was certain Shane was the type to be easily manipulated by a pretty woman, eager to give her anything she needed for a few _particular_ favors in return. Hell, even Merle would've been a better choice if she'd been looking for a target. But no, she'd come to him for help.

Daryl didn't think Sasha had any idea of how the other men looked at her. Sure, Merle voiced his…opinions, but Merle had expressed his desire to fuck just about every woman in the camp, so he doubted she took him seriously. He'd seen how Shane– and more innocently, Jim – had watched Sasha, their eyes lingering on her small chest or full lips, but the girl seemed to have no clue that it was happening. If she did, she didn't do anything to encourage them.

As he trekked back into camp, he thought about his options. He'd wanted to take her hunting today, but now Daryl was second-guessing that idea. The thought of being alone with her, truly alone in the woods for hours, was both thrilling and horrifying. Not that he was afraid of the girl – he was afraid of letting her any closer than he already had. Eventually he knew it would come back to bite him in the ass. Eventually, she would stop hanging around, of that he was certain. Why get a soft spot for her?

_You know yer gonna take her with ya, don't pretend like yer not._ He scoffed at himself, nearly falling back onto his bed and covering his eyes with his hands with a groan.

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"I'd really like to find some more weapons. We only have a few guns and knives and it'd be nice if everyone could at least have a knife or two on them. Maybe we can find a sporting goods store somewhere." Sasha was sitting at the table in the RV with Dale and Andrea, strategizing about her next run. Amy had gone outside to get some water, and they could occasionally hear Glenn's footsteps on the roof as he settled in for the morning watch. It wasn't too hot today, and the camp was taking advantage of the weather to organize their supplies.

"We really need to find a new radiator hose for the RV. I don't think we're going to make it very far on this one if we decide to move." Dale added worriedly, looking over the map Sasha had brought with her with interest. There were several places circled in red, which were places they wanted to check, and crossed out, which were places they'd been that had either yielded no loot or were overrun with walkers.

"That wouldn't be too hard to find with all those cars in the city." Andrea suggested, glancing at Dale. Sasha tried not to grimace. She liked Andrea, if only for Amy's sake, but the woman tended to jump in headfirst without thinking. She was sometimes reactionary which could be a deadly quality in this new world.

"It wouldn't, but I don't want to be out in the open near the city. It's crawling with walkers." Sasha countered gently. The others didn't really know what the city looked like; they just heard how bad it was from her and Glenn. Sasha worried that the group was starting to become complacent – it'd been a long time since most of them had seen a walker, and they felt safe up here in the mountains. They couldn't afford to feel safe.

"Maybe further up on the highway then? We really need the RV if we pick up and move someday." Andrea stressed, rubbing at her temples and frowning. Dale gave her a reassuring pat on the back, though he looked concerned too. Sasha kept her thoughts to herself, but she suspected that someday would sooner rather than later. She knew that when they were done organizing the supplies, they would realize just how little they had. Amy traipsed through the door just then, carrying a few bottles full of water. The blonde had a bemused look on her face as she turned to Sasha.

"Um, Sasha? I _think_ Daryl's outside, looking for you?" Amy's gentle voice tilted at the end, as if she was completely unsure. Andrea and Dale both eyed Sasha in confusion, though Amy had been the one to speak. Sasha tilted her head, puzzled, and tried to ignore the anxious thud in her chest at the mention of Daryl's name.

"Amy? What do you mean you _think _he's looking for me? Did he not say?" She asked, suddenly uncomfortable with three sets of eyes on her. Amy shrugged, setting the water down on the table and scratching at her arm as if she wasn't sure what to do with herself.

"Well, uh, I'm not really sure to be honest. He just asked me if you were in here and when I said yes he sort of grumbled at me and just stood there, and I didn't want to ask again so I came in here right away. I think he's still out there." Sasha grinned to herself. She figured that this was as close as Daryl would get to admitting he was looking for her. She stood up and stretched, pulling down her white cami and grabbing one of the water bottles Amy had filled up.

"I asked him for help with something. I'll see you guys later." She explained, ignoring the troubled looks that had appeared on Andrea and Dale's faces and trying not to roll her eyes. When she stepped outside, she spotted Daryl standing nearby. His arms were tightly crossed as he glanced around the camp, and his blue eyes darted to her almost instantly when her feet hit the ground.

"Took ya long enough." He drawled, eyeing her bare arms, and then, "Might wanna put on a jacket or somethin', we're going into the woods." She saw Glenn watching them from the roof, but to his credit he didn't say a word and just stared at them discontentedly.

Sasha stared at Daryl's arms for a moment, which were completely uncovered, and raised an eyebrow. Not that she was complaining, but shouldn't he have to cover his arms too? Daryl stared back at her passively, as if daring her to say something about it. Instead she sighed and started walking towards her tent.

She couldn't hear Daryl following her, but she was positive he was there. She grabbed her green jacket, which was pretty lightweight, and came back out to find him hefting his crossbow over his shoulder. He turned without saying a word, and this time she knew she was meant to follow.

Under the canopy of the trees, it wasn't too hot, but Sasha still had a coat of sweat underneath her jacket and on her forehead before they'd walked a few minutes. It dripped down her face, the saltiness flooding her mouth. Daryl gracefully prowled in front of her, definitely looking more like a predator than prey. She realized it was probably better to stay quiet, but she had to break the silence just once, so she went with the most obvious question,

"Where's Merle?" If Daryl seemed surprised by her question or annoyed by her speaking, he didn't show it. He just continued to tread forward, his eyes carefully scanning their surroundings.

"Merle don't hunt with me." He retorted simply, his face remaining an unreadable mask. Sasha frowned as she carefully stepped behind him. She'd never really thought about it, but she'd always just assumed that the brothers hunted together. They were always gone in the mornings by the time the rest of the camp got up, so she'd never had reason to think otherwise.

"Really?" She asked, and then bit her lip. She didn't want to bother him with dumb questions. But Daryl just shook his head.

"Nah. He can kill somethin' pretty easy if he gets lucky enough to come across it. But huntin', he ain't good at it. Too loud and impatient to track an' he scares stuff away. But he can set a mean trap, snag up any little critter." She nodded. It made sense. They continued walking and Sasha was happy to see that she could move almost as quietly as Daryl. All of her runs with Glenn had paid off. After a while, Daryl gruffly began pointing out what he saw.

"See this branch here, somethin' broke it." and "Look at the ground, girl, ya see those tracks?" Sasha tried to pay attention and absorb everything he was saying, but she wasn't sure she truly saw anything he pointed out. Maybe there was a faint mark here or there, but Daryl seemed to see the tracks as if they were glowing. Eventually he fell silent and stopped, pointing with his chin towards something.

There, just ahead of them, was a large brown rabbit. It was nibbling on something and hadn't noticed them yet. Sasha held her breath as she watched Daryl lift up his crossbow, his arms tensing under its weight. The rabbit was the kind of cute little creature that she probably would've wanted to keep as a pet in the past. She felt a little bad when the arrow pierced through it, but at least it was over quickly. Plus, she could stomach rabbit better than the squirrels that were often brought back.

Daryl removed the arrow from the rabbit, wiping the blood off on his jeans and picking up the carcass. He tied it to a rope on his belt, showing her how to tie its legs up. Sasha made a mental note to find a bag or something for her kills if she ever became a proficient hunter. They pressed on when Daryl spotted a new set of tracks. She'd just about given up on having a conversation when he surprised her again.

"What did ya do, before this?" Daryl hadn't intended to ask her anything. He wanted to just show her enough to survive so that his chest would stop tightening every time he thought of her being on her own, and then he wanted to try and put some distance between the two of them. He had to admit though – she was doing pretty well. She moved quietly and she hadn't flinched when he'd killed an animal right in front of her. If she could get a bow, or maybe learn how to set some traps, she might make a decent hunter.

He also found that he had this strange feeling, this urge, to know about her. What her life had been like, what she was all about. Secretly he was hoping something she would say would make her less interesting.

"Well, I had just graduated from college – I got a degree in English. Wanted to be a writer." She answered, her eyes focused on something far away. Daryl nodded to himself. That made sense and explained why she read so much.

"My parents always said I should get a more practical degree, something in business, that an English degree was a waste of money and would probably lead to nothing. Guess they were right. I don't think anyone cares about books nowadays." She sighed, then looked cautiously up at him.

"What did you do?" She asked, thinking he had to have had an interesting life with all of his survival knowledge. You didn't learn to do all of that for no reason. Daryl grunted, looking uncomfortable. He didn't want her to hear all the dirty details of his past.

"Jus' random jobs, here an' there. Tried to keep Merle outta trouble." He mumbled, suddenly shooting an arrow through a nearby squirrel. He had to grin when he heard Sasha mutter under her breath,

"You couldn't pay me enough to look after Merle." Daryl added the squirrel to his rope, looking around.

"Looks like there was a deer 'round here, not too long ago." He commented, loading another arrow into his crossbow and lowering himself down to look at the ground more closely. Sasha followed behind him closely. They were much deeper into the forest now – she had no idea how far away they were from camp – and she didn't want to be separated from Daryl.

They tracked the deer in silence for a while. Sasha became lost in thought as she wondered about Daryl's motives for helping her. He hadn't done anything to insinuate that he had bad intentions – if it had been Shane, Sasha was sure she would've been expected to do something in return for him. Daryl was utterly confusing. He didn't seem to want anything, but he wasn't exactly a nice, helpful person, so she really had no idea why he was helping her.

She was so lost in thought that she crashed directly into Daryl's back. He had stopped suddenly and had his crossbow raised. Before she could utter an apology, she heard the sickening sounds of low moaning and ripping flesh. One of her hands automatically went to Daryl's clenched shoulder as she grasped at him in fear.

Just a few feet in front of them was the deer they'd been tracking. Maybe once it had been a beautiful creature, but it was strewn across the ground, covered in its own innards. A single walker feasted on the gory pile, its teeth ripping the organs with unnatural ease.

Sasha felt Daryl's muscles flex underneath her hand as he released a bolt into the walker's head. It fell forward instantly. Daryl glanced at her with a strange look on his face, and after a moment, Sasha realized she had moved her hand to his arm and was tightly holding on. She blushed and pulled her hand away quickly.

"Sorry, I uh, just it's been a while since I've seen one. A walker, I mean." She stammered, looking around at the trees, the dead walker, anywhere but at him. She hadn't meant to look to him for comfort, but she couldn't deny that she felt safe with him, even in the woods. It didn't help that his arms felt so strong; that the tension in his muscles as he lifted his crossbow, that the way he moved almost catlike through the woods, it was all…sexy

_No, no, no, you cannot think of him in that way. That's the last thing you need, is to get a crush on someone during the end of the world. Especially because he would never go for a girl like you – he's definitely the type of guy who wants a girl who's a badass. _Sasha chastised herself, swaying back and forth on her feet as her thoughts moved rapidly through her head.

Daryl strode forward and removed the arrow from the walkers head. He kicked at the body until it was on its back, and quickly searched it for anything useful. Unfortunately, there was nothing.

"Damn shame about the deer." He muttered, looking at the corpse angrily. Turning back to Sasha, he saw that she no longer looked afraid - he had felt her hands shaking against him. She still had a slight flush to her cheeks, but he wasn't sure what had caused it. Most likely she was embarrassed of her fear or something – he doubted it had anything to do with him.

"We oughta head on back." Daryl stated, glancing up at the sky which was beginning to darken. Sasha nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Lead the way." She smiled, gesturing to the woods around them. Daryl snorted and began to walk away.

"That's the next thing ya learn, how to tell where ya are." He replied. Sasha jogged for a second to catch up with him.

"Does that mean you'll take me out again?" She asked innocently. Daryl peeked at her, surprised by the expectant look in her eyes. He let out a deep breath.

"Guess so."

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